LOS ANGELES — Don Bellisario, the producer who developed “NCIS,” is suing CBS for making a spin-off without him.
Bellisario claims his CBS contract assured him “first opportunity … to participate creatively and economically in the development [of] new spinoffs, sequels or remakes” if he stayed at the original show for the first two seasons, Deadline reported Thursday.
But when Bellisario, 75, was edged out of the popular military crime drama in 2007 after four years following a disagreement with actor Mark Harmon, he was excluded from development discussions for “NCIS: LA,” according to the lawsuit filed in Los Angeles.
The producer, whose stepson actor Sean Murray also stars in the show, created the series in 2003, having previously devised a string of crime-themed hits including “Magnum, P.I.” and “JAG.”
“The courts won’t need Naval intelligence to conclude that the case has no merit,” CBS said in response to the suit, which alleges breach of contract.
“The contract is clear, the facts are undeniable … We continue to honor all of our obligations to Mr. Bellisario under the actual agreement,” the company added in a statement.